Strauss named England captain

Strauss, 31, will lead England to the Caribbean on the tour which begins in St Kitts on January 21.

The selectors will meet tomorrow morning to discuss the make up of the squad and the captaincy for the one-day and Twenty20 internationals.

Strauss captained England during the summer of 2006 when Michael Vaughan was injured. His record was impressive, leading England to a 2-0 series victory against Pakistan.

He said: “It is a great honour to be named as England captain and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead.

“I recognise that this isn’t the easiest time to take the role but clearly we have some exciting and world-class players in our dressing room and the task ahead is to ensure that we play to the best of our ability in the months and years ahead.

“I would like to thank Kevin Pietersen for his efforts as England captain. He is one of the greatest players in the world and I am delighted that he has confirmed that he is available to play in all our forthcoming fixtures.

“I fully believe that in everything Kevin did as England captain that he acted solely in what he felt was in the best interests of the team.

“I know Kevin extremely well and appreciate he may be bruised at the moment but he will bounce back and will be one of the most important figures going forward.”

Strauss added: “I would also like to add my appreciation for the efforts of Peter Moores who showed great enthusiasm and determination to take the England team forward in his role as England team director.

“I would like to wish him well in the future roles and I am sure he will be back in cricket very soon.”

Hugh Morris, managing director England cricket, said: “Andrew was the unanimous choice of the selectors when they conferred yesterday.

“He has the total respect of the dressing room and his recent Test match record shows that he is in exceptional touch, scoring a century in each innings in Chennai.

“We have appointed a captain who we believe can harness England’s best cricketing talent and mount a successful challenge on the forthcoming tour of the Caribbean and then for a year which culminates in the npower Ashes series followed quickly by a tour to South Africa.”